Former Etihad Stadium boss announces new venture

Event industry veteran, Paul Sergeant, has announced the formation of Paul Sergeant Events Pty Ltd (PSE), a Melbourne-based management company specialising in securing and promoting niche events in Australia.

Sergeant, former head of several major Australian and international venues, including Wembley Stadium, Qudos Bank Arena (formerly Allphones Arena), Suncorp Stadium and Etihad Stadium, believes “there is an array of quality, niche event content around the world that is seeking to expand beyond its own boundaries but doesn’t necessarily have the resources or knowledge to take on a move into Australia” and has set up PSE to do just that.

Another core function of the organisation is providing advisory services to the right’s owners of fringe sports’ events and venues within Australia who often require a helping hand to support their growth which is something Sergeant and PSE are well equipped to provide.

Sergeant stepped down from his role as CEO of Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium in 2016 and in forming PSE has brought together a team of experts that include CFO, Chris Charleson, Head of Commercial, Sarah Brady, and Head of Operations, Glen Rainsbury.

Sergeant said:

I’ve always worked on the basis that you need to know where the talented people are and these people are among the best in the industry here in Australia. Chris, Sarah and Glen are highly respected across the sport and entertainment business internationally. They know what they’re doing, have immense experience and aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and make things happen.

The experience of the PSE team is spread across the world. Sergeant was the former boss of Wembley Stadium and Principality Stadium (formerly Millennium Stadium) in the UK, as well as Suncorp Stadium, Allphones Arena (now Qudos Bank Arena) and Etihad Stadium in Australia. Charleson, a Chartered Accountant, was the former COO/CFO of Ticketek and Nine Events based in Sydney, while Brady headed up many consumer business and sport presentation departments at an array of sporting clubs including the Brisbane Lions, South Sydney Rabbitohs and GWS GIANTS. Rainsbury, has held a combination of sales and operational roles at Brisbane Entertainment Centre (BEC) and The Gabba as well as with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) with the Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows in London.

Collectively, the PSE team has the commercial and operational experience of dealing with more than 10,000 major events across a 37-year period, including indoor and outdoor sporting events, concerts, religious gatherings, festivals, functions and conferences.

More recently, PSE formed the core management team that proved to be a major success at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.

Sergeant said:

During the three and a half years we worked together, we secured and successfully delivered a vast array of massive international events, including the world-record breaking UFC193, Australian Speedway Grand Prix, Edinburgh Military Tattoo, as well as concerts by Coldplay, Adele, The Foo Fighters, Taylor Swift and many others.

In addition to delivering major events, we were also integral to many varied improvements and developments at the venue. Because of our experience, catering, technology and playing surface improvements were among the many areas that made significant progress under our watch and this expertise is now available for others to tap into.

Of course, none of this success is possible without the support of a wide network of others. We have had the benefit of working with a vast number of staff, freelance operators and other specialist organisations. We’re well networked across the globe and know who to turn to when we need to when it comes to delivering successful projects anywhere across Australia and New Zealand.

These are exciting times for a new business and we anticipate making announcements about several projects in the coming months.

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